The previous owner of the Wee Bush was Mrs Helen Wilson who took over the premises in 1986 and ran the pub until 2005. The building still had an old roof of heather thatch, but it had long been covered up with corrugated iron sheeting to keep the weather out.

It took Mrs Wilson two years to get the plans for the refurbishment approved, as the authorities were reluctant to allow a public house to have a thatched roof in this modern era of building regulations. However, with the assistance of Historic Scotland and many supportive individuals, approval was eventually received and work began in November 1987.
The old roof timbers had to come down to be replaced during the winter rebuild. The Wee Bush had been known as the "Hen's Balks" in the 19th century because the chickens used to roost in these rafters!

The pub stayed open all that winter, operating from portacabins in the back yard, until the grand reopening in February 1988. The pub now has a public bar and a snug bar together with a kitchen and serving areas all tucked under the traditional thatched roof, and Mrs Wilson's perseverance and hard work won an award from Lanark Civic Trust for the completed building.
To support the replacement thatched roof new roof timbers were put in place.
However, the 1988 thatched roof did not weather as well as had been hoped, as the ridge had been finished with straw which was attacked by the local birdlife and began to let the weather in. In 1999 the roof was therefore stripped and rebuilt once more by Master Thatcher Adam Cooper from Angus in Scotland. The roof construction uses reeds from the River Tay as before, but this time the ridge has been finished with turf which should prove a lot more durable over the years.
The 1987 thatched roof being stripped back for replacement, summer 1999. This roof had been been finished with a straw ridge which did not last, as it was destroyed by birds and started to let the water in, so the replacement roof has been finished with a turf ridge which will be much more durable.